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15 December 2014

New Release: Descent & Desire (The Gifted 2)

Publisher: Sweet Cravings PublishingCover Artist: Dawne DominiqueBlurb: There are no guarantees in war, especially when one’s
fighting a losing battle with monsters.An anomaly born to a family of seers and healers, Kathryn
Axel has only been allowed to live because of a prophecy, and prophecy demands
betraying her friends and sacrificing the man she loves.

In the middle of a war, it’s easy enough to lie to her
friends. It’s harder to lie to a man she has to watch die. To protect Gavin
Calligari, Kathryn keeps her distance, but each step he takes forward make her
take a step back. While Kathryn knows she’s bound to hit a wall, she’s
beginning to think it wouldn’t be too bad to let him claim both her heart and
body.

When she didn’t
answer, Gavin grabbed her arm in a bruising grip. His touch made all of Kathryn’s
old scars itch. Unlike Charlie’s hands or any of the Ixeria, his hands weren’t
rough. They were smooth and soft. Too perfect, almost, to hold her scarred
wrists and a tainted creature like her. Kathryn pulled her arm away, but Gavin
stubbornly held on.

“After all
these years, I have to know why you hate me so much,” he demanded.

Intense and
searching, his searing blue eyes hungrily sought answers she couldn’t give. Some
part of Kathryn didn’t want him to let go of her arm. She’d forgotten how it
was to be touched by someone, to be touched by Gavin especially. His touch was
solid and comforting, and it was tempting to simply lean against his chest and
unload all the secrets she’d been forced to keep all these years. Even now, the
words of the seers echoed in Kathryn’s head.

“As healers
and seers, the future is ours to keep. You must never reveal them until the
very last moment. This is vital, you understand? We cannot afford to fail like
the last time.”

“I don’t hate
you, Gavin. I never have,” Kathryn admitted finally. She owed him that one
truth at least.

“Then why have
you been avoiding me all these years? We were supposed to— ”

“To be
together? Give me a break. Are you so married to your duty and obligation to
the Calligari that’d you’d kill and fall in love when they tell you to?”

The grip on her
wrist tightened, but Kathryn didn’t protest. She looked at him steadily,
refusing to show any sign of weakness even though cracks were beginning to
appear in her heart. Spurning his advances and ignoring him when they were in
the middle of the campaign was easy. Sending him away when he came knocking on
the gates of the House of Eyes to woo her had been as well, but it was harder
now that they were alone, and she had run out of excuses.

“Is that how
you see me then? I don’t chase after you because you’re an obligation. Gods,”
he whispered. “You can’t know how beautiful you look, glaring at me like that.”

Was she really
attracted to this fool? His words though, were beginning to affect her. Kathryn
softened, nearly caving into telling the truth. Gavin said he loved her, even
with her scars and even if she was an abomination, but she never believed him
until this moment.

“It started as
a duty when I met you many years ago in that garden. You were a spiteful and
bitter little thing, even for a child. Each time you rejected me, I saw it as
an enjoyable challenge.” Gavin loosened his grip on her wrist, but didn’t let
it go.

Kissing her
wrist, he thumbed the lines. “I watched you, Kathryn. Watched you grow from a
girl into a woman. I’ve nearly given up on you, but I changed my mind during
this campaign. You’re still spiteful and stubborn, but you’re also loyal and
unexpectedly kind to your friends.”

I have to
shut him up soon. If I don’t, then all the years I’ve avoided him would be
meaningless.

She desperately
searched for the right words, the hurtful words that would effectively end
their conversation.

“Shut up,” Kathryn whispered.

His eyes
darkened until they were a deep midnight blue. “Not this time.”

Griping her
wrists again, Gavin pulled her against him. Before Kathryn could protest, he grabbed
her shoulders and kissed her.

He no longer
kisses like an older brother. He’s kissing me as if it’s the last time he’ll
ever kiss me.

Kathryn was no
longer capable of formulating logical thoughts. His lips were firm, seeking,
and demanding. Passion and years of repressed desire leaped from him to her,
kindling a flame that would soon turn into a blazing inferno.

He kissed her
like a man starved for affection, like a man who waited all his life for the
right woman and could wait no longer. With his lips pressed against hers, all
thoughts of resistance fled from Kathryn’s mind. She’d fought so hard against
the idea of them being together that it seemed foolish now. Why had she been
fighting to avoid this?

Angel is a bestselling MM romance writer who lives in a place where its summer all-year long, with with her partner, two Welsh Corgis and out-of-control carnivorous plants.

She's passionate about bringing sexy, gay paranormal stories to readers but also likes to dip her toe in contemporary stories. She's also a novice terrarium maker, an alt rock lover and a tea time enthusiast.